


Codename: Heavy Weapon

by Anonymous



Category: Heavy Weapon (Video Game)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Graphic Political Caricatures, Rare Fandoms, Unconventional Format, Video Game Mechanics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:13:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23428294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: This report briefly outlines the history of the various weapons and craft used in the Red Star War, and the history of the former Red Star bloc.(Originally written in 2008.)
Collections: Anonymous





	1. Atomic Tank

**Author's Note:**

> This one's... odd.
> 
>  _[Heavy Weapon](https://store.steampowered.com/app/3410/Heavy_Weapon_Deluxe/)_ is an arcade shoot 'em up about destroying OTT communist armies with an OTT nuclear-powered tank of freedom.
> 
> When I was younger I couldn't get enough of things like _Star Wars_ encyclopedias that explained how all the tech and the different alien or fantasy cultures worked. So I wrote and drew my own for stuff I liked. My work was not as formal as it should have been to properly emulate my inspiration, but I had fun. This one happened to survive. I've done some minor editing, but the content is the same as when it was last modified.
> 
> Some names, like the Pup Copter and the Hellfire missiles, were taken from the names of the graphic assets.

**Introduction**

The Atomic Tank was a top-secret Allied weapons project, begun long before the Red Star bloc declared open war. The tank was envisioned as nothing less than a one-vehicle army, capable of completely levelling any enemy forces that dared to attack the Allies. This was made possible by the invention of the hyperplasmic fusion core, the most powerful energy source yet known to mankind. It is this core that powers the Atomic Tank's fearsome arsenal. However, when the Red Star leaders declared war and invaded Allied lands, the tank was rushed into service before its full array of weaponry could be installed. To make up for this, the tank would be serviced and upgraded by intelligence operatives in the Red Star lands, who usually disguised their headquarters as gas stations.

The Atomic Tank's full arsenal includes an energy cannon, defensive shield, defensive plasma orbs, homing anti-air missiles, lasers, dumb rockets, flak cannons, and the Thunderstrike. It is also capable of producing an omni-directional energy burst that causes the same devastation as a tactical nuke. However, this ability can only be used sparingly, as it severely taxes the mechanisms that channel the energy.

For all its amazing abilities, the Atomic Tank does have its weaknesses. Chief among them is its relatively weak armor, which is not much stronger than a regular car body. When the tank's shield system was designed, the engineers became overconfident in its abilities and cut corners on the armor. They had not realized that the shield systems tended to fail once they absorbed too much damage. Also, the Atomic Tank is controlled by one man, as the hyperplasmic fusion core does not leave enough space for more crew. This results in difficulty controlling the steering and guns at the same time. To make up for this, they are both controlled by the same device, but they cannot be controlled independently of each other.

**Shield System**

The Atomic Tank is protected from enemy weaponry by a force field. However, this force field can only absorb so much damage before the shield generator fails. With each hit, the shield powers down. The shield can also be pierced by certain attacks, such as tactical nukes, lasers, and brute physical force. Intelligence operatives had to service the generator in battle, on account of the Atomic Tank's weak armor. The shield is dull red on low power, light green on medium power, and dark green on full power.

**Weapons -- Energy Cannon**

The Atomic Tank's main weapon is a standard energy cannon, which draws plasma from the hyperplasmic fusion core and expels it in roughly elliptical, greenish-white rounds. The plasma used has less energy than the plasma in the core, to avoid burning out the cannon, but it is still a weapon to be feared. In its final design, it is capable of firing a spread of 5 rounds per shot. However, the Atomic Tank was sent into battle before the cannon had been fully built. Intelligence operatives were later responsible for upgrading it.

**Weapons -- Defense Orbs**

It was decided that the Atomic Tank needed a secondary defense system, besides the shield generators. Thus, the idea of Defense Orbs was conceived. Spheres of plasma held in shape by strong magnetic fields would orbit the Atomic Tank and keep enemy ordnance at bay. (A complete secondary shield was deemed too impractical, as the tank would overheat.) Since magnetic fields are used to contain the orbs, there is no risk of frying any electronics and so the plasma used has much more energy than that used in the energy cannon. Hence, the defense orbs are able to destroy enemy plasma rounds and are more durable than the Atomic Tank's main shield. However, it fails on many of the same points, being unable to protect the tank against lasers or brute physical force.

**Weapons -- Homing Missile**

The Atomic Tank is armed with anti-air homing missiles to destroy enemy aircraft. The main problem was how to store the missiles - it was immediately obvious that the Atomic Tank had no room to store the missiles in a conventional fashion. To work around this problem, a newly-developed storage system codenamed "Hammerspace" was used to shrink the missiles to a manageable size, and restore them only when fired. This also allowed the Atomic Tank to carry large numbers of missiles, virtually ensuring that they will never run out during battle.

**Weapons -- Laser**

Long after the idea of using the Megalaser had been discarded, the engineers decided that the next best thing would be to attach a toned-down laser to the Atomic Tank's cannon, allowing the Atomic Tank to focus more damage on a single target and cut through enemy projectiles. While a deceptively simple idea, it is still remarkably effective. Like most of the Atomic Tank's weapons, it is powered by the hyperplasmic fusion core.

**Weapons -- Rockets**

Several of the engineers working on the Atomic Tank decided that it needed still more firepower, and came up with the rocket launchers. The rockets do not have any homing system and are fired straight ahead. Without any homing system, the engineers were free to fill the remaining space with high explosive. Like the homing missiles, the rockets are stored using the "Hammerspace" system.

**Weapons -- Flak Cannon**

The Flak Cannon is the most ordinary of the Atomic Tank's weapons, being much like a normal flak cannon. The difference is its near-unlimited ammo, stored with "Hammerspace" like everything else. However, it is still effective against aircraft and certain projectiles.

**Weapons -- Thunderstrike**

Keeping in mind that the Atomic Tank was supposed to be effective against entire armies, engineers decided that the tank needed a weapon that could attack multiple enemies at once. They invented the Thunderstrike. The Thunderstrike converts the energy from the hyperplasmic fusion core into a bolt of lightning, which is fired from the tank to the nearest target, and bounces from that target to the next. While the bolt itself is relatively weak, the damage can quickly build up after multiple bounces, and it was accepted as part of the Atomic Tank's arsenal.

**Weapons -- Nuke**

Even after all these developments, the engineers were still not content. They wanted bigger explosions, and money was no object. They then designed a new weapon, codenamed "Nuke". The Atomic Tank would channel energy from the hyperplasmic fusion core through its outer shell, to be expelled in an omni-directional burst that would wreak the same devastation as a tactical nuke. However, the conduits used to channel the energy proved too delicate for repeated usage. Intelligence operatives would service the mechanisms in battle, to allow it to be used as a last resort.

**Weapons -- Megalaser**

In the early days of the project, the engineers believed that building a super-powerful Atomic Tank would be easy enough. All one needed would be a device to focus the seething power of the hyperplasmic fusion core into a Megalaser that would completely incinerate anything in its path. Unfortunately, the Megalaser would fry from the intense energy, even when the laser was not in use, leading to the idea being discarded. However, the parts used in the Megalaser were fairly common and could occasionally be salvaged to build a temporary Megalaser, to see for a moment the glory of what could have been.

**Allied Pup Copter**

Long before the Red Star bloc declared war, Allied intelligence operatives were keeping watch on their activities. The Pup Copter was used mainly for fly-bys over suspect areas. To that end, it was equipped with a cloaking field to shield it from Red Star sensors. When the Atomic Tank was rushed into battle, it was later used to ferry intelligence operatives to the battlefield for emergency repairs. Because of this, it was later given a force field that protected it from high-energy attacks, but unfortunately, not from conventional weapons fire. However, the Pup Copter and the brave operatives who manned it were perhaps no less responsible for the Allies' eventual victory than the Atomic Tank itself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the console remakes of this game, one can aim the tank with one analog stick and move with the other, so my comment about the tank's steering is moot.


	2. Red Star Bloc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The game had one-sentence lore snippets for each of the Red Star countries/levels, so I expanded on them.

**A Brief History**

No one knows how the Red Star bloc came to be. The most prevalent theory is that Vladimir Lemming, a politician in the then-peaceful country of Flowerburg (now known as Killingrad) was in the bathroom one day, reading a little red book called Das Oppression. The main tenets of the book were that wealth should be equally distributed among an all-powerful dictator and his lackeys, while the peasants should labor happily to attain this dream of financial utopia. Supposedly, he was then enlightened and knew that it was his duty to spread the joys of such an economic system (statues can be seen throughout the Red Star bloc commemorating this moment). He then rose steadily to power, building the metropolises of Killingrad into what they are today. With a center from which he could govern his empire, he then forcibly spread his doctrines throughout the island continent that became the Red Star bloc. This came to the attention of the Allied Forces, who watched the proceedings with great concern. Liberal advisors convinced the Allied generals that it would be dangerous to engage the Red Star forces (when, in fact, they were still vulnerable at that point) and that they should wait for further developments. Meanwhile, Lemming was slowly but surely building his forces, eagerly awaiting the day when he could enlighten the rest of the world, while the ordinary people suffered under his reign. At last, he declared war on the Allied forces and launched an invasion. This move would have been successful, had the Atomic Tank not been deployed in Red Star territory. Lemming eventually met his end in a last stand against the might of the Atomic Tank.

**Frigistan**

Frigistan is a subzero wasteland in the northwest corner of the Red Star continent, with an average temperature of -33 C. Before Lemming invaded, the people eked out a living from exporting snowcones, made of the pure, smooth snow of the Frigistanian mountains. After the invasion, it was much the same, except that the income from the snowcones now went to Lemming's war machine. Lemming had no interest in developing the country, simply installing a low-cost air force consisting mostly of unarmed spy planes. Only after the Atomic Tank's recon mission destroyed this air force did he deploy his big bombers.

Penguins and yetis can sometimes be seen in Frigistan. Good thermal underwear is also recommended for tourists.

**Blastnya**

Blastnya's main feature is its spectacular coast, which attracts vacationers of all sorts, even Red Star commanders. Shopping is also a favorite pastime due to the favorable exchange rate of the blastnik, Blastnya's unit of currency. When Lemming invaded, he mostly left the place untouched, figuring that the scenic sites had to be preserved to attract tourists. Even during the conflict, people who did not want to waste their paid-for vacations could still be seen sunning themselves by the sea. A chief example would be the unfortunate couple, Murry and Maud. While they were sipping their tacky coconut cocktails and lounging in the sun, the Atomic Tank happened to roll by, nearly overwhelmed by the bombers flying overhead. The private driving the Atomic Tank hit the "Nuke" button, blasting the bombers - and poor Murry and Maud - to dust. After this incident, a travel advisory was posted, but still stupid people continued to come.

Blastnya's highlights, besides its scenery, are its export-quality mail-order brides and the Blast Ness Monster said to inhabit the Rocknia Bay.

**Petrovakia**

As can be deduced from the name, Petrovakia's main natural resource is crude oil. Much of the country's infrastructure is devoted to the extraction, refining, and export of oil and various petroleum products. After Lemming invaded, he built even more rigs and refineries to satisfy his war machine's insatiable need for fuel. The people suffered under Lemming's reign, but the 3000 species of birds which live in Petrovakia, even more so.

The national bird of Petrovakia is the Scarlet Cockerel. This is a fairly recent development, given that the people of Petrovakia had not thought of selecting a national bird before Lemming's invasion. Lemming chose the Scarlet Cockerel mainly due to its all-red plumage. However, he might have learned a lesson from the bird's habit of making sure its mate and brood always had an equal share of whatever food was found.

**Dictastroika**

Dictastroika is one of the more developed countries in the Red Star bloc. This is mostly due to Lemming's extra attention towards its rich nuclear-ore deposits. While the country was already in a reasonable state of development, funded by exporting nuclear products, Lemming was not content with this and ordered more reactors to be built to power his war machine. Dictastroika is governed by a puppet technocracy, with Lemming's Nuke-Corp lackeys ensuring that new reactors and nuclear weapons facilities would be built on a monthly basis. This, of course, left very little money for the ordinary people. Some of these malcontents could be seen attempting to surrender to the Atomic Tank. Allied forces assisted as many of these people as they could, but Lemming's army retook the country and executed many of the citizens before much could be done. This did little to deter them when the Atomic Tank returned, however.

**Zamblamia**

Zamblamia is a vast, mostly uncharted land roughly in the center of the Red Star continent. What is known is that the country is covered in lush, steaming rainforests, in which the wildlife grows to Brobdingnagian proportions, and dinosaurs still live. Lemming could not, nor wanted to, develop the country extensively. Instead, he built hidden research facilities deep in the jungles. Mortality rates among the unfortunate researchers were high, their last messages to the outside world usually consisting of desperate screams about dinosaurs and giant creatures. The most common cause of death among researchers, natives, and tourists alike was the giant Zamblamian mosquito, which grew to lengths of 6 inches and drained all the blood from a regular-sized victim in a single bite.

Travel agencies recommend using semi-automatic pistols and tasers as insect repellents while traveling in Zamblamia. Some people also swear by the Hambobolubian death-masks sold by the natives, but their efficacy cannot be proven. That there are any natives left tends to suggest they do work, however.

**Tankylvania**

Tankylvania is, in a word, spooky. There is only 1 daylight hour in any given day, for example, and the sun fails to give its usual light or warmth. The surrounding countries, however, experience normal day-night cycles. Why or how this can happen has not been explained. Tankylvanian natives say that long ago, Tankylvania had been a happy, sunny place, until a powerful wizard had a bad day. His wife had decided to divorce him after a lengthy row late at night, and three of his seven children happened to be sick, while the other four were running amok in the house (even though they were supposed to be in bed), messing up his carefully-arranged spells and potions. He spent so long trying to sort out this mess that he didn't get any sleep. Then, he heard a knock on his door. He opened it to find himself staring at a boy who was grinning from ear to ear.

"Isn't it a happy, happy day?" he said. "The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and the grass is just so vibrant and green and the flowers are just so cheery and bright! Don't you think it's such a happy, happy day too?"

The powerful wizard then flew into a seething rage and placed a curse upon Tankylvania, accounting for its unnaturally long nights and other spooky plagues. The Tankylvanians have been working to find a way to lift the curse ever since. In this endeavor, they could expect no help from Lemming or scientists who dismiss this story as superstitious nonsense. (It should be noted that they have not done much better in explaining the phenomena themselves.)

The aforementioned plagues include ghosts, vampires, and the Spitting Bat, which attacks with a powerful paralyzing agent. Travel agencies strongly recommend viewing Tankylvania's sights remotely from the many horror movies that are filmed there. For the tourist with a death wish, crosses, stakes, garlic, and submachine guns with silver bullets are recommended. All tourists are also required to report to and assist the local village mob.

**Vodkavania**

Vodkavania is a war-torn skeleton of a nation, having been invaded 50 times in the last century. Historians can only guess at the motivations for these frequent conflicts. The most popular explanation is that the neighboring countries, Tankylvania, Zamblamia and Antagonistan, sought territory where they could be free of their respective problems, in addition to procuring a supply of cheap vodka. (For a variation of this theory, see the Antagonistan report.) Much to the Allies' lasting shame, the Global Council would consistently recommend that Vodkavania impose trade sanctions on the invading countries or attempt to negotiate peacefully, even as their troops were marching in the streets. If proper action had been taken, Vodkavania might have been saved. As it was, when all four countries became satellites of Lemming's empire, this problem was presumed solved (perhaps the only good thing that Lemming did for the people of the Red Star bloc). However, he did little to repair the infrastructure of Vodkavania, and the people had grown so used to looting during wars that they had completely forgotten how to work or buy things normally. The Allies' liberation has made little practical difference to Vodkavania's condition. It will be a painfully long time before the country even approaches normalcy.

**Antagonistan**

The scorching desert region of Antagonistan is home to the Antagons, a fierce tribe whose culture is entirely devoted to war. Some historians suspect that many of Vodkavania's troubles originated in this country. It is known that in times past, the Antagons would import cheap, low-quality vodka from Vodkavania, in order to compensate for their water shortages (Antagonistan's annual rainfall is roughly 4 cm). All else is speculation. Many believe that at one point, the Antagons had declared war on Vodkavania over a dispute about the vodka prices. The Vodkavanians sent an ambassador to try to negotiate a peaceful settlement, but the Antagons took the very mention of negotiations as a grave insult and attacked with renewed vigor. At that time, Vodkavania was not in the pathetic state it is now and so managed to repel the invasion. The Antagons, burning with rage and shame from their defeat, then sent tribesmen to Tankylvania and Zamblamia and incited them to seize Vodkavania and so escape the endless nights and oversized creatures that plagued each region. These historians believe this was the beginning of Vodkavania's fall.

Later on, during Lemming's invasion, the Antagons proved surprisingly resilient against the onslaught. Even when it seemed they might be overwhelmed with brute force, they would go out of their way to poison oases, burn trees, and even detonate rock formations that might give shade to enemies, purely out of spite. Lemming's generals realized this and devised a new strategy. They would hire the Antagons to fight for the glory of the Red Star. Once they had learned to arrange negotiations without mentioning the word, the Antagons were easily enticed by the prospect of new weapons and battles in new lands. Those clans who objected were then destroyed.

It is also speculated that long ago, the Antagons shared the desert with another, more peaceful tribe, whose name is lost. This second tribe specialized in weaving tasteful rugs decorated with various patterns and pictures. However, the Antagons overwhelmed and enslaved them. When the Antagons began working for the Red Star bloc, these slaves were also set to work weaving rugs for export.

The Antagonistanian desert itself proved perfect for building hidden subterranean bunkers and weapons caches. If Killingrad was the heart of Lemming's empire, Antagonistan was its hammer of judgment upon the capitalist world.

**Killingrad**

Killingrad is marked by its towering metropolises and first-world infrastructure, in stark contrast to most of the other Red Star nations. Lemming credited himself and his economic policy of Dictatorism with ushering in the prosperity that allowed the cities to be built. However, as per the tenets of Dictatorism, the best places in the city were reserved for Lemming's lackeys. The ordinary laborers had to live in slums hidden from the outside world by cardboard fronts.

It is said that Killingrad earned its inauspicious name from the infamous Tartsky Rebellion. Liger Tartsky was the politician who gave Das Oppression to Lemming as a birthday present, thinking he would find it funny. He could not know that Lemming would take the half-baked ideas presented in the book seriously and try to put them into motion. However, it was only after Lemming had seized control of the then-Flowerburg that Tartsky thought to take action. Seeking a peaceful resolution, he and his followers floated to the city square in hot-air balloons marked with peace signs. Lemming ordered his helicopters to fly through the balloons, causing them to lose control and crash. All of the protesters died. Yet more have taken to flying the so-called 'peace balloons' since then, continuing the protest and vying for a return to Flowerburg.

**Red Star HQ**

Soon after taking power, Lemming decided that centering his military forces and main research bases in Killingrad would be far too obvious. The solution lay in a desolate, uninhabited island not far off from the Red Star continent, across the Skovnia Sea. As the military base on the island grew, Red Star engineers developed a cloaking system that would shield the bases from Allied spy planes. The system proved dangerously effective, and the bases were only discovered when Allied forces noticed the increase in radio chatter in that area shortly after Killingrad's liberation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As an aside, the original blurb for the Red Star HQ reads: "Through your heroism, the brave efforts of the allied forces, and not a few rubber hoses, we have discovered the location of Red Star's secret headquarters! Let's finish this once and for all!"
> 
> I only realised this year what the rubber hoses were for.


	3. Red Star Craft

**R-44 Hominov Prop Plane**

While 'prop plane' refers to the fact that the Hominov uses a propeller, it also refers to its main use - to create an illusion of a large air force. The Hominov is, in fact, an unarmed spy plane, with cameras that are said to be able to pick out a grain of rice in a city road at 10,000 feet. However, these cameras do no good in battle, except perhaps to take hi-res photos of the incoming energy round or flak that is about to destroy it. That they are even used as the aforementioned 'prop planes' instead of their designated purpose is typical of Lemming's wastefulness.

**RG-28 Bravski Jet Fighter**

The RG-28 is a relatively early design, used in Killingrad's air force in the days when it was still called Flowerburg. Its light armor is not particularly resistant to anti-air fire, but its supreme maneuverability made it a thorn in the side of the Allied fighters. However, when the Atomic Tank attacked, Lemming had them retrofitted to carry dumb bombs. In this role they were far less spectacular.

**T-83 Spetznak Bomber**

The T-83 Spetznak is another early design, yet one formidable for its time due to its relatively durable armor. Even the Atomic Tank's basic energy cannon had difficulty piercing its defenses. Besides its armor, however, the Spetznak does not have any extraordinary abilities. It was mainly used to chip away at Allied installments with dumb bombs as a prelude to full-scale assault.

**MG-24 Nikzov Jet Fighter**

Despite its name, the MG-24 was never meant to be a jet fighter. This is evidenced by the amount of work put into designing its unusual choice of arms - laser-guided bombs. These red bombs would lock onto a ground target and alter their course as they dropped to ensure a hit. However, since they lacked an active propulsion system, the bombs were painfully slow in reaching their target, which would often simply outrun or destroy them. To date, the MG-24 is the only Red Star craft to use these laser-guided bombs.

**Modified Pickup Truck**

Like many of the Red Star's craft, this truck was never intended for the role it was impressed into. Its rocket-propelled grenades, however, are effective anti-tank weapons, and for a while they were a major annoyance to the Atomic Tank (due to the inherent difficulty in steering and levelling the cannon at the same time).

**TS-31 Kriznek Carpet Bomber**

It came as quite a surprise to Allied officers to see carpet bombers being deployed against the Atomic Tank. These gray-blue bombers had large bomb bays that could carry as many as 8 to 20 bombs at once, to be unleashed on Allied bases. Against a single vehicle, their use would be considered hideously overkill - if that single vehicle was not the Atomic Tank.

**KB-22 Czerk Light Helicopter**

Before the war, the KB-22 was used as a civilian police helicopter, with no arms. However, when Lemming's thought police began using the KB-22 to keep an eye on the public, Lemming decided it might be as well to give them some teeth. Not content with machine guns like most military helicopters had, he ordered his engineers to design something more special. They devised a simple plasma cannon. The shot fired traveled quite slowly through the air, and the plasma core used took several seconds to recharge. Still, nothing dispelled an uprising like a fiery orb of white-hot plasma descending inexorably over the protesters, and Lemming approved the weapon.

If the KB-22 was effective at quelling rebellions, it was even more effective against conventional Allied tanks, as they could not outrun the shots and the plasma melted through their armor like a blowtorch through butter. The Atomic Tank's energy cannon proved unable to destroy the shots.

**KB-31 Grakin Assault Helicopter, KB-72 Mokum Assault Helicopter**

A single entry has been devoted to both these craft, considering their remarkable similarities and intertwined history. Both are designed as anti-tank helicopters, and both use Hellfire air-to-surface missiles (named for their distinctive orange flame contrail and incendiary payload). These similarities are attributed to the fact that their respective designers, Grakin and Mokum, were rival engineers who competed for Lemming's favor. When their department was commissioned to develop an anti-tank helicopter, Grakin and Mokum agreed that the result of this contest would decide who was superior, once and for all. Much to their chagrin, however, both designs were accepted and were often deployed in battle together.

The key differences between the two helicopters are that while the Grakin has less armor, the Mokum is significantly more expensive.

**TD-52 Vorskat Delta Bomber**

The TD-52's given purpose was quite simple. Fly in, drop a bomb, fly out. Repeat. Where the antiquated T-83 relied on its armor for protection during these "wasp sting" missions as they were called, the TD-52 relied on its speed. At some point, Red Star engineers decided that the TD-52 could be made more lethal, and they armed a few with experimental frag bombs. These distinctive yellow bombs had an unstable plasma core that would detonate on impact, spattering the surroundings with searing plasma blobs. The bombs proved a resounding success on their first mission. However, the engineers who designed the bombs were sentenced to hard labor on an unrelated matter, and interest in the project died down. As a result, the TD-52 is the only craft to use these bombs.

If the bombs were destroyed before impact, they would not release their lethal payload. The precise reason for this weakness is unknown.

**TD-21 Shiznik Delta Fighter**

The TD-21 is basically a supersonic fighter used to escort craft like the TD-52 on bombing runs. To keep the craft light, it is only armed with gatling cannons, forcing it to rely on its speed to wear the enemy down. Allied fighters nicknamed it 'the brown mosquito'. Some of them are retrofitted to carry armored bombs, should other craft be unavailable. Most of these were destroyed when the Atomic Tank attacked.

**IM-35 Tachrok Ballistic Missiles**

One of the first things Lemming did after taking over the continent was to build incredible numbers of missile silos throughout the Red Star bloc. The IM-35 Tachrok was the most common model used. These intercontinental ballistic missiles were the bane of Allied military bases anywhere. At any time, without warning, a cluster of missiles could rain down and level the base to dust. When the Atomic Tank attacked, Red Star commanders were reported to turn the missiles on their own cities in an attempt to destroy the tank.

**TA-21 Frinska Heavy Bomber**

This craft was designed as an improvement over the TS-31, which many Red Star generals felt was becoming obsolete. The first changes made were to its bomb bays, making them larger to allow the TA-21 to carry even more bombs and drop 5 at a run. Red Star engineers suggested that armored bombs be used instead of the regular dumb bombs. At first, many scoffed at the idea of spending money on armor for bombs. However, when the engineers assured them that the bombs could be made larger, and thus more explosive, the idea was readily accepted. The TA-21 is still substantially more expensive than the TS-31 though, and so the latter has not been completely replaced.

**TF-77 Havanski Atomic Bomber**

The TF-77 is easily the largest of the Red Star's bombers. The reason for this is quite simple - it is designed to carry tactical nukes. Its huge bomb bays can accommodate up to 4 of these freakishly large bombs, which are dropped one at a time. Many Allied countries lived in fear of these flying beige monstrosities. The explosion from one of these tactical nukes is one of the few weapons that can completely pierce the Atomic Tank's shield.

Like the TD-52's frag bombs, if the bomb is destroyed before impact, it will not release its deadly payload.

**H-51 Barskov Munitions Blimp**

The H-51 was designed mainly for transporting munitions (as can be guessed from the name) to the frontlines. Because of the importance of this purpose, the blimp was given extra armor. However, the Red Star engineers soon found that the blimp could not even take off due to the weight of the armor. The solution was a plasma core-powered anti-gravity system, with propellers for steering. Soon the H-51 was ready to supply the Red Star's hungry war machines.

If need be, the H-51 can drop dumb bombs that it is carrying to defend itself against ground targets. Should the blimp be shot down, the plasma core and the exploding munitions will shower the ground with plasma rain and other nasty debris, leading many Allied anti-air units to be wary of firing on one.

**CS-148 Romanov Attack Satellite**

Lemming was always on the hunt for new and exciting ways to wreak untold devastation on capitalist pigs. The revolutionary design of the CS-148 was all that and more. These geostationary satellites, with directions from a command center, would close on a target and torch it with a ravening laser beam of destruction. Using satellites for warfare was in violation of international treaty, of course, but the little red book said that no self-respecting dictator should be bound by such pathetic strictures, and so Lemming approved their use. When the Global Council protested and stated that its member countries would impose sanctions on the Red Star Bloc, Lemming supposedly had a fleet of these satellites carve the words "So what?" into their headquarters.

The CS-148's laser is one of the few weapons that is capable of penetrating the Atomic Tank's force field.

**MG-17 Palinskat Ground Attack Fighter**

Given that the MG-17's intended use was solely as a strafing craft, not much attention was paid to its development. The engineers responsible implemented several supposed cost-cutting measures. For example, the MG-17's armor is relatively weak. Any money that was saved, however, went into improving the plasma cannon design first used in the KB-22, so that the cannon could be fired with greater speed. Consequently, the craft is still rather expensive.

**T-63 Linstrad Tank**

While the T-63 is certainly no superweapon like the Atomic Tank, it was still a formidable foe. This was because it did not use a normal shell cannon. Rather, it used yet another variant of the plasma cannon design. Plasma rounds could instantly melt through enemy tank armor, after all. While the Atomic Tank's shield could stop the rounds, its energy cannon could not destroy them and it was forced to dodge the shots - a difficult thing to do while trying to aim at a ground target.

**Shovak Bulldozer**

The Shovak bulldozer is one of the Red Star's more interesting war machines. After all, it is little more than an overblown construction (destruction?) vehicle. Before war was declared openly between the Red Star bloc and the Allies, these bulldozers were widely used to tear down historical buildings to make way for penthouses for Lemming and his sycophants. Many say their use in the war began only during the Atomic Tank's invasion, when a desperate soldier commandeered one and attempted to run over the Atomic Tank. He was unsuccessful, but the idea stuck and other bulldozers were fitted with heavy armor to protect them against the Atomic Tank while they were charging.

The sheer force of the bulldozer crashing into the Atomic Tank causes the shield system to instantly fail, leaving the tank open to being crushed. However, as powerful as the bulldozer's engine is, it cannot continue advancing on the Atomic Tank if it is receiving heavy fire.

**S-34 Reflex Fighter**

This craft's name is quite basically a description of what it does. It is used mainly for attacking ground forces with Hellfire air-to-surface missiles. However, when fired on with basic weaponry such as energy cannons, the plasma shield that surrounds it will stop the shots, shedding plasma rounds in random directions as it does. The general idea is to deter enemies from shooting it, much like the effects of an exploding H-51 blimp offered it some measure of protection. It is strongly believed that the concept of the shield was garnered from Red Star agents spying on the Atomic Tank project. Still, the shield technology bears only a superficial resemblance to that of the Atomic Tank's, so this theory is not without doubt.

**C-31 Fovraski Cruise Missile**

The odd shape of the C-31 led many following the Atomic Tank's campaign to believe that it was up against kamikazes. Even considering the tank's destructive power, this seemed like a highly wasteful sacrifice on Lemming's part. The true nature of the missile was only discovered after further intelligence gathering. It is believed that the C-31, unlike the IM-35s, do not have a range extending outside the continent and were only used during Lemming's takeover. The remaining missiles (and there were many) then resumed their service when the Atomic Tank attacked.


	4. Red Star Superweapons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of the bosses and levels were renamed for the console remake. I didn't add any content to account for that.

**Introduction**

When Lemming's spies first reported about an Allied superweapon project, Lemming was, to his credit, remarkably unconcerned. He believed that the Red Star's superior defense budget (courtesy of his policy of Dictatorism, he always hastened to add) would allow them to build far better superweapons in response. Shortly after this, military engineers throughout the Red Star bloc were commanded to construct new "supercraft" capable of mass destruction, to strike terror into the citizens of the Red Star and the Allied capitalist pigs. Each satellite state had a different superweapon assigned to it. The Atomic Tank's first mission was seen as an opportunity to test their prototypes, but they were all destroyed. While the later designs were significantly improved, they met the same fate.

**Twinblade**

The Twinblade is basically a giant helicopter with two sets of blades, oversized missile pods, plasma cannons, and incredibly thick armor. While not one of the Red Star's more impressive superweapons, it was the first design to be approved, and served mainly as an example of what the superweapon project was about - thinking bigger and better than any ordinary, mass-production craft. Since it paled in comparison to the Red Star's later supercraft, it was assigned to Frigistan, where it was used to literally shadow rebellious Frigistanian settlements and force them into submission.

**Battleship**

The Blastnya Battleship is a fairly unassuming, conventional design like the Twinblade, with an even less creative name. Its main purpose is to defend the Blastnyan coastline from any enemy fleets that might approach. The long range of its plasma cannons and modified surface-to-surface missiles also allowed it to bombard enemy ground forces and anti-Lemming protesters. Many say its lack of a proper name was because the lecherous Blastnyan admiral in charge of the battleship could not decide which of his past girlfriends to name the ship after. When this went so far as to delay its official launch, Lemming demanded that it be sent to sea, name or no name, and the indecisive admiral was never seen again. The Battleship's crew swore, until the day its second prototype sank to the bottom of the sea, that it never did like being referred to as 'it'.

**War Blimp**

It is rather odd that the supercraft funded by and assigned to Petrovakia's rich oilfields uses surprisingly little fossil fuel. Agents speculate that this was a move to conserve petrol for the rest of Lemming's war machine, something quite unlike the usual habits of Lemming's engineers. Whatever the reason, the War Blimp (or Rainer as it is nicknamed) is kept aloft by an upgraded version of the H-51's anti-gravity system. Its remarkably strange arsenal includes homing roto-mines that descend slowly on the target, with helicopter rotors that double as razor blades, and a meteor tractor beam, which pulls passing meteors out of the sky (Petrovakia is a prime spot to watch shooting stars) and rains their fragments upon the target, hence its nickname.

**War Wrecker**

Most of the Red Star superweapons took years of careful design before even their prototypes were built. Not this one. The War Wrecker was just the Wrecker before the conflict, and back then it was used to tear down the houses of Dictastroikan residents to make way for new nuclear reactors, nuclear processing plants, and other such projects that the puppet technocracy ordered. Hapless Dictastroikan citizens soon discovered that standing around their homes, a protest tactic often used in democratic countries, proved fatally ineffective. When Dictastroikan engineers received Lemming's orders for a superweapon, they decided to simply slap heavy armor on the Wrecker, present it to him, and get back to designing nuclear weapons. Lemming either did not notice this ploy, or did not care. After all, the huge wrecking ball could decimate enemy ranks as easily as most of the other superweapons.

The aforementioned wrecking ball was larger than the Atomic Tank and fully capable of destroying its shield and weak armor in one clean sweep. When the first War Wrecker was destroyed, a backup unit was brought out and fitted with even heavier armor and a longer chain. This allowed it to scrape up dangerous boulders that would rain on the Atomic Tank.

**Kommie Kong**

The luckless researchers who were assigned (or condemned, depending on perspective) to the forests of Zamblamia and its accompanying 6-inch mosquitos did make one breakthrough - capturing a Zamblamian giant gorilla. When the researchers received Lemming's Superweapon Directive, they decided that a tame Zamblamian creature would make an excellent weapon. Initial attempts at luring a gorilla out of the jungle with a female researcher as bait proved ineffective. Following this, the 'King Kong' plan was abandoned in favor of a full-scale assault. Of the 236 soldiers and researchers who plunged into the forests, 8 returned. But they had their gorilla. The unfortunate animal was then cybernetically enhanced, and its brain modified so it would obey Red Star commanders. Once they gave it a pack of plasma burst rockets, it was good to go. The first 'Kommie Kong' was put out of its misery by the Atomic Tank. However, the researchers had saved a DNA sample, from which they made an even more powerful clone. This clone was also killed.

**Eyebot**

The Eyebot is definitely one of the more original superweapons. Its creators stated that the design was inspired by a creature called a gazer, said to have plagued Tankylvania in times past. The gazer was said to have been a byproduct of Tankylvania's curse, floating out of the night to terrorize helpless villagers by firing death rays from its many eyes - a fitting image for their new weapon. Rather than having an on-board pilot like most of the other supercraft, the Eyebot is remotely controlled. This left more room for the plasma core and anti-gravity systems housed in its main body. Since the plasma core design used was still experimental, it had an unfortunate tendency to overload. The solution was to build a small outlet in the Eyebot's front to shed plasma rounds as a secondary weapon. However, this became the Eyebot's weakest point - if not for the outlet, the Eyebot's thick armor would render its main body impervious to enemy fire. The outlet is closed when any of the Eyebot's six lightning arms are charging.

The lightning fired from the lightning arms is capable of piercing the Atomic Tank's shield.

**Bustczar**

Theories abound about the Bustczar's unconventional design. Functionally, it is simply an oversized bomber/assault craft, armed with armored bombs, Hellfire air-to-surface missiles, and modified armored missiles. However, for some inexplicable reason, it was made in the shape of a giant head. The head does not bear any likeness to Lemming or any of his elite, removing the possibility of it being blatant flattery. Is it to commemorate a friend who had died in the many Vodkavanian wars? Or is it an engineer's puerile attempt at ego-boosting? Perhaps the idea is to confound enemy forces to the point where they are unable to organize an attack? We may never know.

**Mechworm**

When the Antagons heard about Lemming's superweapon directive, they were overjoyed. What better way to prove their prowess to their new employers than to design a new weapon of mass destruction? The only problem was the design - inspiration eluded them. However, as an Antagon chief was looking through proposed rug designs for the enslaved rug-weavers, he noticed one that depicted a giant worm. Then and there, the idea of the Mechworm was born. The Mechworm was made specifically for burrowing underground, only to resurface at speeds nearing 210 km/h directly underneath enemy forces. If this initial attack did not completely demolish its opponent, it could then rely on armored bombs or Hellfire air-to-surface missiles before plunging back into the earth for another run. This strategy made it one of the more difficult supercraft to destroy.

**X-Bot**

Competition among the engineers of the Red Star capital was intense. A good, destructive weapon design would mean a substantial pay rise and perhaps a new penthouse on a once-historical site. Failure would bring exile to Frigistan or Zamblamia, or worse. Hence, when Lemming's superweapon directive was given, all the engineers strove to build the best supercraft. However, the polished cities of Killingrad did not afford the same inspiration as the legendary beasts of Tankylvania, for example, and one engineer by the name of Karpov Kaboomski was at his wit's end. Considering that this project was his last chance to prove that he deserved his penthouse, due to a string of failed designs (the chicken bazooka being the most noted example), he was understandably desperate. At last, when he had spent an entire night pacing his room, he suddenly remembered that Lemming's cousin's friend's uncle's therapist's hairstylist's youngest son loved pogo sticks. It took him another night to ponder the relevance of this insight. Finally, he decided to base his design on a pogo-hopping robot, in hopes of currying Lemming's favor that way. The insane plan succeeded, amazingly, and thus the X-Bot was built.

Besides the crushing weight of the robot itself, the robot also fires laser bolts from its eyes and has Hellfire air-to-surface missiles mounted on its shoulders.

**Secret Weapon**

Even after all the Red Star satellite states had their own superweapons, Lemming was not quite content. His top engineers working on his island military base suggested one last design, one that would be an order of magnitude more powerful than the other supercraft or anything that the Allies could throw at them. The final design, simply called the Secret weapon, consisted of a main body protected by two outer shells that bristled with high-tech weaponry. The first shell is armed with twin laser cannons which fire fibre-optics guided lasers that can suddenly bend in mid-air to surprise a target and leave them unable to dodge the attack. The second shell employs a rotating plasma cannon and tactical nukes. The main body used more mundane Hellfire air-to-surface missiles and modified armored missiles. This impressive arsenal, the engineers believed, would ward off any attack and put the fear of the Red Star in capitalist pigs worldwide. Lemming was eager to pilot this symbol of the Red Star's power himself. He soon got his chance when the Atomic Tank attacked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how entertaining this is to read, but I enjoyed writing it at the time. Thank you for reading!


End file.
